/oss/taxonomy/term/1191/all en /oss/article/you-asked/what-happens-when-you-swallow-chewing-gum <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in</em> <a href="https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/old-wives-tales-and-truths-2-0/"><em>The Skeptical Inquirer.</em></a></p> Fri, 28 Jul 2023 10:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9574 at /oss /oss/article/health/gum-and-7-year-myth <p>But it’s not quite true. Chewing gum will not stay in your intestine for 7 years. While gum is not metabolized, broken down, or absorbed like most food, it doesn’t sit in your colon for the better part of a decade.</p> <p>Intuitively, the idea is believable. Gum is sticky and hard to scrape off the bottom of school desks. So the idea that it could become lodged into some corner of your digestive tract is not entirely implausible. However, it is worth remembering that we actually eat a lot of things that we cannot digest.</p> Thu, 07 Nov 2019 04:29:10 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 7987 at /oss /oss/article/food-health-quirky-science-toxicity/joe-schwarcz-gum-something-chew-especially-when-taking-test <div> <p style="text-align:justify"><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/?p=5729"><img alt="chewing gum" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2013/08/chewing-gum1-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a>I’ll tell you up front that I don’t like chewing gum. I know studies have shown that chewing may reduce tooth decay, help with weight management and even reduce stress, but I’m not won over. And it isn’t because I’m worried about the “carcinogens, petroleum derivatives, embalming fluid ingredients or chemicals that cause diarrhea or mess with our digestive system” — the kind of accusation that permeates the Internet, authored by scientific luminaries with self-conferred titles such as “Food Babe.”</p> <p style="text-align:justify">My aversion to gum probably traces back to elementary school, when one of my teachers had a unique punishment for anyone caught chewing gum in class. The criminal had to climb on a chair and recite: “The gum-chewing student and the cud-chewing cow differ somehow. I know, it must be the intelligent look on the face of the cow!” Ever since witnessing such a “sentence” being carried out, I can’t look at a masticator without comparison to a cow, decidedly to the animal’s advantage. Memory sure is a mysterious thing. And therein lies a gummy story to chew on.</p> <p style="text-align:justify">Back in 2002, researchers at the University of Northumbria in England assigned 75 subjects age 24 to 26 to either chew gum, mimic chewing without gum or not chew at all while performing both short- and long-term memory tests. Gum-chewers scored significantly higher. Although the robustness of this study has been criticized, it did unleash speculation about why chewing gum may aid memory. For one, research has shown that chewing gum increases blood flow to the brain and activates the frontal and temporal cortex, probably by enhanced oxygen transport. Since these regions are known to play a role in cognitive function, increased memory seems a possibility. Another option is “context-dependent memory,” implying that information is more easily recalled in an environment similar to the one experienced while learning, particularly if a smell is involved. For example, students studying while exposed to the scent of chocolate perform better when exposed to the same scent while writing exams.</p> <p style="text-align:justify">In 2011, Matthew Davidson of Stanford University’s School of Medicine explored the memory-enhancement effect further, adding another twist. He fortified the gum with substances that have been associated with improved cognition. Many studies have suggested improved alertness with caffeine, so it was a natural additive. (In fact, the U.S. army has introduced caffeinated gum in military rations.) Davidson also added an extract of the ginkgo biloba tree and vinpocetine, derived from the lesser periwinkle; both have been shown to enhance blood flow to the brain. Also included was an extract of a creeping herb known as Bacopa monniera, which in at least one placebo-controlled, double-blind study was shown to improve learning rate and memory. Rosemary and peppermint were also added, mostly to take advantage of their strong scent, which may enhance recall. The 62 participants were divided into three groups; they chewed either the “Think Gum,” ordinary bubble gum or nothing while engaged in learning as well as during recall.</p> </div> <p><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2013/08/25/joe-schwarcz-gum-is-something-to-chew-on-especially-when-taking-a-testr">Read more</a></p> Sun, 25 Aug 2013 22:05:48 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2006 at /oss